DeSantis Catches Florida in His Own Mouse Trap

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has take quite the stand strain to get back at Disney forspeaking out againstthe state ’s “ Do n’t Say Gay ” bill — something thatonly happened aftermembers of the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies put pressure on the companythrough protestswhich received an barrage of financial backing nationwide .

DeSantis responded this week by calling a peculiar legislative session which vote to endWalt Disney World ’s special district privilege , make in 1967 as the “ Reedy Creek Improvement District . ” basically , the vote revokes the Disney Company ’s power to runwhat amounts to its own citywithout bureaucratic hinderance — but it could also die $ 1 billion in municipal debt to surrounding county .

What Is the Reedy Creek Improvement District?

Reedy Creek is presently is its own district entity within Florida where Walt Disney World exists . It handles its own infrastructures , including but not limited to fervour and sheriff contracts , waste administration system , and metropolis works that approve its permits as well as road expression . And yes , it ’s been how Disney has bypass the state for approvals on expansions and hotel builds for Walt Disney World for the past several decades .

The special district was originally fix in motion to aid Walt Disney ’s plans for EPCOT as he described in 1966 , which he want to make as an example of a sustainable metropolis of the future . With theFlorida Project , he stargaze of creating a new urban community of interests where American free enterprise could prove the latest excogitation , with the bearing of begin to fix problem that suburban sprawl and the machine diligence were ignoring . At the prison term , Florida was all in with Disney ’s ambitious thought — as long as there was still a theme park aspect to draw tourer . However , the special district only get through after Disney ’s death in late 1966 , and has since been used as a style to cut through red tape and hasten expression design with minimum state and county interference . The only remnants of some of Walt ’s old plans exist in its transportation system of rules , its comprehensive recycling computer programme , its commitment to wildlife preservation , and some aspects of its park - to - mesa food service — a high spot of EPCOT ’s “ Living with the Land ” attraction is larn about how Disney farms on its own prop for some of its vegetation and fish . It offers gross nostalgia for retro futurism amid the IP - hard escapes of just about everything else in the park .

Thanks toReedy Creek , Disney has been capable to function as an sovereign entity — and it has also been compensate exorbitant prop revenue enhancement in Orange and Osceola , the counties that its land spot . Bloomberg reportedthat if Reedy Creek is break up , it will total at a Brobdingnagian cost to Florida taxpayers : one billion dollars of debt for 27 square miles of country that they do n’t really require to have a province for . In other words , it experience like Florida is go to shoot now and realize it — and its residents — are bleeding out after .

Image: Gustavo Caballero/Getty (Getty Images)

Why is Florida Dismantling the Reedy Creek Improvement District?

The Walt Disney Company under currentCEO Bob Chapekcameunder firefor ab initio not speaking out against Florida ’s HB 1777 legislature , also known as the “ Do n’t Say Gay ” bill , which was supported by politicians who ’d have Disney contribution . ( Chapek afterward announcedthe company was “ pausing ” those contribution . ) finally , Disneyreleased a statementagainst the bill — but only after it had pass , and after considerable public examination . “ Our goal as a caller is for this jurisprudence to be repealed by the legislature or struck down in the courts , and we remain attached to support the national and province brass working to attain that,”it read . “ We are consecrate to tolerate up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ phallus of the Disney sept , as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country . ” The company went on toreinstate a buss between a same - sex coupleinPixar’sLightyear .

No word on whether or not Disney is still expecting employees to relocate to its Modern campus in Lake Nona , Florida — particularly if they feel they or their families are at jeopardy if they identify as LGBTQ+ . Currently the “ Do n’t Say Gay ” restrict discussion about sexual orientation and grammatical gender indistinguishability in classrooms . Additionally , theFlorida Health Dept . has outlined the following for anyone living in the state : “ societal grammatical gender transition should not be a discussion pick for children or adolescents . ”

What Will Happen Next for Disney?

In esteem to the future of the Reedy Creek Improvement District , it ’s up to the Florida House to make the last decision on who will pay the terms — specifically the billion - dollar bond debt . “ As a bondholder , we worry about who is going to pay us back , ” said Evgenia Lando , a portfolio manager forThornburg Investment Management , toBloombergon how it may fall upon the local surrounding governments to absorb the C . But even she though thinks it ’s just a show , “ it ’s decidedly headlines and noise ; it ’s nothing you need bind to an entity . ”

As of Thursday the bill that could dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement Districtwas pushed throughthe Florida House of Representatives for DeSantis to sign in a 70 - 38 voter turnout . finally , however it will come up down to a vote between the residents of Reedy Creek . The likeliness of it not pass and being strike down seems high , as taxpayers may opt to not have to shoulder a behemoth diligence that functions fairly well as its own municipal government and provides job while aim the Department of State ’s economy . So this could be very neatly wrap up in a reciprocal deal between Disney and Orange County constituents . DeSantis , who ’s say to have Bob Hope of a Republican presidential tender in 2024 , maybe just be setting himself up to take his own sweetener — and the downslope .

https://twitter.com/embed/status/1516738365437140999

Screenshot: D23/YouTube

Screenshot: D23/YouTube

We reached out to Walt Disney Company for a comment on the balloting , and will update this post if and when we get a reaction .

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